There are applications where a tubular contact element for receiving a contact pin is required, which contact element is capable of withstanding many plug-in connection operations and tolerates frequent insertion direction movements and/or tilting movements of the inserted contact pin, which are caused for example by vibrations in the surrounding area of the contact pin, without resulting in damage or premature wear of the tubular contact element. One exemplary application that demands such a tubular contact element is for minicontacts having dimensions in the millimetre range. The contact element may also be provided for an electrical connection of an electric magnet coil wire, and the contact housing may be part of a magnet coil arrangement.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,404 an oblong, resiliently compliant tubular electrical contact is provided, which is integrally punched and formed from sheet metal and has on one axial end a location region for a pin contact, on the opposite axial end a wire connection region and, in between, a resilient region. This tubular contact is accommodated in a housing chamber that allows a resilient movement only in axial direction.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,380,012 an electrical jack is provided, comprising a location region for a pin contact as well as a cylindrical rotatable region, the periphery of which is provided with a plurality of spiral slots, so that this region is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the contact pin. The inserting of the contact pin into the jack leads to a rotation of the rotatable region and consequently to a wiping movement between the jack and the pin contact. Such a wiping movement, while being desired in the case of the contact of U.S. Pat. No. 3,380,012, is detrimental to an application requiring many plug-ins and multidirectional movements of the inserted contact pin.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,573,718 an electrical contact comprises a location region, which is designed to receive a pin contact and is provided with a number of spring elements enabling resiliently compliant accommodation of the pin contact. This contact has a strip-shaped projection, which enables easy insertion of the contact into a connector housing and supports the contact inserted into the connector housing. After insertion of the pin contact into the contact there is no longer any room for a resilient movement of the spring elements.
An object of the invention is to provide an electrical contact element, in particular a tubular contact element of small dimensions, which is suitable for withstanding many plug-in connection operations and tolerates frequent insertion direction movements and/or tilting movements of the inserted contact pin, as well as a connector arrangement having such a contact element and a method suitable for its manufacture.